Nested-paper-cup separator.



B. 1. BAUM & 0. WQODERMATT.

NESTED PAPER CUP SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5. 1917.

1 271,834. Patented July 9, 1918.

1 {I o IQ \E Q WITNESS: A INV/gNTORS.

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BENJAMIN J'. BAUM AND CLARENCE W. ODERMATT, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

NESTED- PAPER-CUI" SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9; i918.

T 0 allaehom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN J. BAUM and CLARENCE IV. OnnnMA'rT, citizens of the United States, residing at the city and county of San Francisco and State of Calistandard nested packages in which they are.

received.

It has been the custom for the. operator to do the work by hand, but this involves the objectionable and unhygienic practice of moistening the fingers with the tongue in order to slip each cup successively from its position in the comparatively tightly composed nest. This practice has been, to some extent, supplanted by the provision of machines or apparatus.embodying, generally, a receptacle in which the nested packages are subjected to a current of air which has the efliect of separating the nests into their component parts. It is to this type of machines that our invention relates, and it consists in the novel machine which we shall hereinafter fully describe, and which has for its object the economical effective and continuous breaking up of the nests and the separation of the cups which com pose them.

Referring to the accompanying drawin s,

Figure 1 is an elevation, broken and partly in section, of our machine.

Fig. 2, is a detail view showing the attachment of a screen section to the discharge end of the outlet pipe, it found desirable,

Fig. 3 is a section, enlarged, on the line 3-3 of Fig.1.

l'is a base plate, from which rise legs 2, which carry and support-the receptacle 3 This receptacle has the general shape of a double cone the bases joining. Into thethroat of the lower cone leads the air inlet pipe 4, which is fitted with a blower 5. In the throat of the lower cone, just above the entrance of the air pipe is located an open meshor screen abutment 6, in practice composed of cross-rods, as seen in Fig. 8.

Into the upper portion of one side of the upper cone leads the feed pipe 7, the entrance to which is guarded by a spring controlled flap 8.

Slidably telescoped upon a collar 9 of the upper cone is a hand-hole pipe section 10, held normally by a thumb nut at 11, and provided with side hooks 12. I

Slida-bly telescopcd upon the section 10 is the outlet pipe 13, which in its continuation or terminal discharge portion is reduced in diameter at 14, and curved over until its end opens downwardly.

The outlet-pipe provided with books 13 and is adjust-ably carried by a bracket 15 supported by a standard 16 rising from the base plate 1. In the face of the bracket 15 are slots 17, into which pass and play the studs 18 secured to the outlet pipe. Thumb nuts 19 are fitted on said studs, and by their manipulation, the whole outlet pipe 13 may be adjusted and set vertically, thereby varying the effective length of the outlet passage to suit different conditions as will be presently explained. The discharge end of the outlet pipe may terminate at such a distance above the barrel into which the separated cups are dropped as to prevent the aircurrent from said pipe unduly blowing about or disturbing said cups in the barrel, but in case it beiound desirable to deliver the cups without a free drop directly into the barrel. we may as shown in Fig. 2, hang a screen pipe section 20 from the discharge end 1% of the outlet pipe, and carry said section down approximately to the level of the top of'the barrel 21. while serving to deliver the cups into the barrel directly, will by its screen-likecharacter permit the air to escape sidewise, and not reach the barrel in volume enough to disturb its contents.

The operation of the machine is as follows:

The packages of nested paper-crimp cases or bon-bon cups are fed by the attendant in such quantity as is found proper, through the feed pipe 7 into the receptacle 3. In the receptacle the packages meet the uprising air current from the blower 5. The screen abutment 6 prevents the, cups from clicking the throat of the receptacle. The effect of the air is to carry the packages outwardly against and up along the diverging sides of the lower cone and thence against and along the convergingsides of the upper cone, by which latte-r they are directed inwardly to- This section I I load, and so choke up the machine.

'this occurs, it'is only necessary to lift up ward the axis of the receptacle, and turning over and over, drop down again and again into the sphere of the air and their movement repeated. Thus they are churned about, as it were, and the air entering be- 'tween the cups of the nest parts them, and

gradually so breaks them up into smaller and smaller divisions, until. as these divisions grow smaller and lighter, they float up with the current into the entrance or begin- Now, in order to control with precision the proportion of air force to the gravity of the cup, provision is made to regulate the effective length of the outlet pipe, by manipulating the thumb-nuts 19 and lifting or lowering said pipe. This adjustment will provide for the floating of cups to just the right height according to the weight of the particular material of which the cups are made, or according to their size and consequent varying weight. a It also provides for anice regulation of the floating height of the cups so that by no chance will associated 'cups pass out.

In some cases, the attendant may over- \Vhen the hand-hole section 10 and. hang it by rings over the hooks 12 on said section, and the hooks '13 on the outlet pipe 13. The operator may then pass his hand into the receptacle 3 and remove as many of the nested packages will relieve the congestion. I

We claim:

1. A machine for the described purpose comprising a receptacle with a controllable feed opening; means at one end of the receptacle for introducing a current of air; an outlet pipe from the other end of the receptacle; and means for adjustably sup porting the outlet pipe for varying the effective length thereof.

2. A machine for the described purpose comprising a receptacle with a controllable feed opening; means at one end of the re ceptacle for introducing a current of air; an outlet pipe from the other end of the receptacle; and means for adjustably supporting the outlet pipe for varying the effeetive length thereof, said pipe having its comprising a receptacle with a controllable feed opening; means at one end of the receptacle for introducing a current of air; a pipe section fitted to the other end of said receptacle; an outlet pipe telescopically fitted tov said pipe section; and means for ad-' justably supporting the outlet pipe for varying the effective length thereof.

5. A machine for the described purpose comprising a receptacle with a controllable feed opening; means at one end of the rev ceptacle for introducing a current of air; a pipe section fitted to the other end of said receptacle; an outlet pipe telescopically fitted to said pipe section; and means for adjustably supporting the outlet pipe for varying the effective length thereof, said outlet pipe having its terminal discharge portion of reduced diameter.

6. A machine for the described purpose comprising a receptacle the walls of which diverge from its ends to its middle; means for introducing a current of air at one end of the receptacle; means for introducing the material to'be affected to said receptacle; an outlet pipe from the other end of said receptacle; and means for adj ustably supporting the outlet pipe for varying the effective length thereof.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN J. BAUM. CLARENCE W. ()DERMATT. Witnesses WM. F. Boo'rn, D. B. Riouanns. 

